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San Diego International Airport (SDT)
The San Diego International Airport is a multi-runway airport located in Miramar, a community in the northern city limits of San Diego in California. The airport replaced Lindbergh Field, or the old San Diego International Airport after a large sinkhole destroyed most of the airport's single runway in 1969. The new airport, referred to as Miramar Field was opened in 1974 and was renovated to have 4 runways, the shortest of which is 9,457 feet long and the longest is 13,476 feet long. 4 terminals were built as well, and the upgrades from Lindbergh Field, which is now a museum, allowed for larger planes to land in the new airport, Likewise, the distance from downtown San Diego allowed the minimum height for skyscrapers in the city to be raised from 500 feet to 2,000 feet. The airport is a fully passenger airport, as the nearby Fernbrook Airport is the cargo counterpart of Miramar Field. Both airports opened on May 6, 1974. SAN is also the third busiest airport in the United States, after Los Angeles International Airport and Atlanta's Hartfield-Jackson International Airport. Airlines and Destinations Statistics Top Domestic Routes Top International Routes Accidents and Incidents * On September 25, 1978, a Boeing 727-200 operating flight PSA Flight 182 on the Sacramento–Los Angeles–San Diego route collided in mid-air with a Learjet landing at the Miramar-Executive Airport while attempting to land at San Diego Airport. The two aircraft collided over San Diego's Mira Mesa neighborhood, killing all 135 people on Flight 182 and the 8 people in the Learjet, along with 12 people on the ground. The San Diego-based crew included Captain James McFeron, First Officer Robert Fox, Flight Engineer Martin Wahne, and four flight attendants.Flight 182 was en route from Sacramento to San Diego, with a stopover in Los Angeles, while the Learjet was en route on a direct flight from Bakersfield. * On January 3, 1986, a Douglas DC-8-63 operating United Airlines Flight 647 skidded off runway 2 during an intense rainstorm, and the plane continued through mud and rugged terrain for 500 feet before coming to a stop. Of the 137 people on board, no one was killed, but there were 4 injuries. The flight was inbound from San Francisco, California, and the plane suffered extensive damage. The damage included damaged landing gear, a blown out tire, cracks in the tail and right wing, multiple broken windows, and a dented nose. The damage totaled $1.3 million (2018 USD). * On April 30, 1994, an Alaska Airlines MD-83 operating Flight 765 crashed shortly after takeoff from Miramar Field. The plane's landing gear failed to retract, causing severe drag. 2 minutes after takeoff, the plane began rapidly descending and crashed shortly afterwards. The plane crashed in a residential region of University City, a San Diego neighborhood, killing 85 of the 102 passengers on board and an additional 5 on the ground. All 17 survivors were injured, 12 critically. * On December 31, 1999, a shooting committed by a group of local extremists killed 13 people in the airport, and caused the airport and all operations in the airport to be shut down for 2 days, re=opening on January 3, 2000. During those 2 days, over 9,000 people were stranded in the airport, and over 800 flights were cancelled. * On October 25, 2003, the Cedar Fir began 30 miles east of the airport. However, incredibly strong winds fanned the fire towards the airport, growing at an exponential rate. By the morning of October 26, the cities of Lakeside, Santee, El Cajon, Scripps Ranch, Tierrasanta, Kearny Mesa, Miramar, and Mira Mesa were all evacuated. Accordingly, the San Diego Airport was closed. By 10am (PST), the fire had reached the airport, burning part of terminal 4 and runway 2. However, the fire was quickly stopped from completely burning down the airport. Damages at the airport reached $8 million (2018 USD) and Terminal 4 was closed until December 21 later that year. However, Terminals 1-3 were re-opened by November 1. Overall, over 6,000 flights were affected and it remains the longest period in history that the San Diego Airport was closed, totaling 6 days. * From October 22 to November 1, 2007, thousands of flights were cancelled due to a breakout of wildfires, including the Witch Fire, which would merge with several other large to burn 247,000 acres, and the Harris Fire, which burned 90,000 acres. Heavy smoke was the main cause of the cancellations, though on October 25 and 26, the Mira Mesa and Miramar areas were evacuate due to the proximity of the Witch Fire, forcing the closure of the airport for 2 days. * On July 4, 2012, an American Airlines A330-300 operated as Flight 1652 crashed into the open terrain of Scripps Ranch after the left wing snapped off due to being hit by a firework that was set off during a 4th of July celebration across the street from the airport. The plane crashed at a 90 degree angle, due to losing stability after the wing broke off. The flight was on a direct route from San Diego to Philadelphia. Of the 297 people on board, 276 were killed, making Flight 1652 one of the deadliest crashes in history, and the deadliest single crash in American history. The flight was heading to Charlotte, North Carolina. Category:Airports Category:SuperDestructiveTwister